Arkansans rush for cover against twister; 15 die VILONIA, Ark. (AP) — The sky turned black as the funnel cloud closed in, and Maggie Caro rushed with her husband and two children to a community shelter at a Vilonia school, where they were among the last to get inside the fortified gym before the doors were shut. "They were screaming, 'Run! Run! It's coming!'" Caro recalled. And then all hell broke loose. The half-mile-wide tornado carved an 80-mile path of destruction through the Little Rock...

Tornadoes strike central, southern US, killing 9MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) — A powerful storm system rumbled through the central and southern United States on Sunday, spawning a massive tornado that killed at least eight people in central Arkansas and another that killed someone in Oklahoma. The Arkansas tornado touched down about 10 miles west of Little Rock at around 7 p.m. and moved northeastward for at least 30 miles, the National Weather Service reported. It missed the state capital but pass...

1 dies from gunshot wound in Little Rock LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock police say a man has died from a gunshot wound. Police spokesman Lt. Sidney Allen says officers were called to the scene shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday and found a man lying in the street with at least one gunshot wound to his torso. Emergency workers and firefighters performed lifesaving techniques, but the man died later a hospital. His name and age have not been released. A suspect is not in custody.

Panel approves steel mill air permit NORTH LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A planned $1.2 billion steel mill planned for northeast Arkansas cleared an important hurdle Friday with a state regulatory panel's approval of its air quality permit. Big River Steel had a lengthy fight for the permit for the Osceola plant, with a competitor, Nucor Steel in Blytheville, filing multiple objections along the way. Blytheville and Osceola are both in Mississippi County. John Correnti, chief executive offi...

AG files notice of appeal in ID case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' attorney general told a state judge on Friday he plans to appeal a decision that struck down a new voter ID law, while a civil liberties group said it will move forward with a separate challenge to the requirement. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office filed a notice of appeal over Pulaski County Judge Tim Fox's ruling a day earlier that voided a new law requiring voters to show photo identification before cast...

Boozman recovery continues after heart surgery ROGERS (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Boozman's office says the Republican from Arkansas is continuing in his recovery from heart surgery. Boozman's surgeon, Dr. E.J. Chauvin, said Friday that Boozman will be able to fully return to his duties without any restrictions. Boozman went to a hospital Tuesday when he suffered chest and shoulder pains. Doctors found Boozman had experienced an acute aortic dissection — a tear in his aorta — and had to operate ...

Monette woman found dead near her home MONETTE (AP) — Craighead County sheriff's deputies are investigating the death of a Monette woman who was found apparently run over by a vehicle near her home. The Jonesboro Sun reports the body of Sandra Ramsey Platz, 43, was found Thursday night. Deputies said they're trying to determine whether Platz was intentionally killed or if her death was accidental.

Judge voids state voter ID law LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas judge struck down the state's new voter ID law on Thursday, saying it violates the state constitution by adding a requirement that voters must meet before casting a ballot. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox voided the measure in a lawsuit over the way absentee ballots are handled under the law. A separate lawsuit had been filed last week directly challenging the law, which requires voters to show photo identif...

4 injured after lightning strikes near gas well LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An energy company says four people are in stable condition after lightning struck near a natural gas well site in central Arkansas. Southwestern Energy spokeswoman Christina Fowler said Thursday that four people were injured while working on the company's rig near Greenbrier. She says they stopped working for a time due to storm in the area. After the crew decided the storm had passed and resumed working, Fowler said the lig...

Little Rock police say man died from gunshot wound LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock police say a man has died from a gunshot wound. Police spokesman Lt. Sidney Allen says that officers received a call about a shooting Thursday afternoon. When officers arrived, they found a man lying on the floor suffering from a gunshot wound. Allen says the man was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Allen did not say where the man was shot. The victim's name was not immediately rel...

Businessman sentenced on tax charge FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — A former businessman from northwest Arkansas has drawn a prison sentence of 21 months in prison for failing to pay $117,000 in federal income taxes. Prosecutors say 59-year-old Steven Kolb of Springdale was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks. Brooks ordered Kolb to pay $117,455 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Kolb was charged with deducting federal income tax from paychecks of his em...

Boozman still in recovery, out of ICU LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas has been moved out of a hospital's intensive care unit and into a private room. The move comes two days after Boozman had unexpected heart surgery due to a tear in his aorta. Boozman's office said Thursday that the senator has been in stable condition since surgery on Tuesday and is in recovery. Doctors diagnosed him with acute aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta, after his wi...

Board rejects convicted inmate's request LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Pardon and Parole Board has denied a commutation request from a man convicted of killing a Pocahontas police officer. The board announced Thursday that it rejected the commutation request of 55-year-old Dwight Sullinger. Sullinger is serving life in prison after being convicted of the 1991 shooting death of Officer Scotty Bennett. Prosecutors say Sullinger shot Bennett as the officer approached Sullinger's home ...

Court won't reconsider Risperdal case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court declined on Thursday to reconsider its decision that threw out a $1.2 billion judgment against a pharmaceutical company accused of improperly marketing an antipsychotic drug. In a one-sentence order, the court rejected Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's request for a rehearing on the case. McDaniel had argued that the court was wrong when it said the state misapplied a Medicaid fraud law i...

Lawyer argues for new trial over stabbing death LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A lawyer for a man convicted in the stabbing death of a Greenbrier woman argued before the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday that the trial judge should have halted proceedings and ordered a new mental evaluation when her client experienced an apparent manic episode. Ronald Britton Jr. was convicted of capital murder in Faulkner County of the 2010 stabbing death of Michelle Asher, 20. Lawyers said he cut her throat because ...

Hearing set on proposed Norphlet-Smackover merger SMACKOVER (AP) — The Arkansas Board of Education is to consider the proposed consolidation of the Norphlet and Smackover school districts at its hearing next month in Little Rock. Both schools have approved the voluntary annexation of the Norphlet district into the Smackover district. The consolidation came about because Norphlet's enrollment is declining and nearing the state minimum of 350 students. According to the El Dorado News-Times, the...

Students attending environmental workshop BLYTHEVILLE (AP) — Hundreds of area fourth graders will attend a workshop next month aimed at environmental awareness. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality's annual Make a Splash with Project WET Festival is set for May 8 at Blytheville High School. About 300 students from three schools are expected to attend. The event promotes water education and offers interactive sessions on fishing, water witching and more. Project WET is an i...

US Sen. Boozman recovering from heart surgery LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas U.S. Senator John Boozman is in stable condition and is still recovering from unexpected heart surgery prompted by a tear in his aorta, his office said Wednesday. Boozman, 63, was taken by his wife, Cathy, to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers overnight on Tuesday for pain in his chest and shoulder, spokesman Patrick Creamer said Wednesday. While on the way to the hospital, Boozman was "alert, responsive an...